Staff

TREATIES AND AGREEMENTS

About Us Team Staff

Commissioners

The Treaty Commission's impartiality is reflected in its composition and the way it makes decisions. Commissioners do not represent the Principals that appoint them, but instead act independently. Decisions require the support of one appointee of each of the Principals.

The First Nations Summit elects two Commissioners and the federal and provincial governments appoint one each. The four part-time Commissioners serve two-year terms. The Chief Commissioner is appointed to a three-year term by agreement of the Principals. In the absence of a Chief Commissioner, the four remaining Commissioners unanimously agree to appoint one of them to act as Chief Commissioner.

Click the Commissioner’s image to read their bio.

Francis Frank
Commissioner

Francis Frank is a First Nations Summit elected Commissioner. He is serving his fourth term and was first elected by the First Nations Summit Chiefs in Assembly in 2015 . Francis is from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and is an elected Councillor. 

Prior to joining the Treaty Commission, he has served his community in leadership roles, including Chief Councillor for fourteen years, negotiator for over ten years, and band administrator for six years. Francis has extensive negotiation experience in Indigenous title and rights, including fisheries, and is currently the T’aaq-wiihak Fisheries lead negotiator. He is also an experienced social worker and earned his Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria.

Francis lives in Port Alberni with his wife, Janice, and is a proud father of five children, three foster children, and grandfather of four grandchildren.

Commissioner Clifford White
Clifford White
Commissioner

Clifford White (Nees Ma’Outa) is a First Nations Summit elected Commissioner. He is serving his second term as Commissioner and was first elected by the First Nations Summit Chiefs in Assembly in March 2019. He is from Gitxaała Nation, is a hereditary leader and former elected Chief Councillor.

He studied business and commerce at the University of British Columbia and is a facilitator and trainer with Nawaabm Enterprise. Clifford is an Elder of the New Westminster First Nations Court for more than 12 years and was involved with the BC Aboriginal Family Healing Court project.

Clifford also serves on various boards, including Chair of the First Nations Advisory Committee of BC, Board Chairman of the Northern Nations Cooperative, and Director with the Prince Rupert Indigenous Housing Society, the New Relationship Trust Foundation, and the First Nations LNG Alliance. He is passionate about commercially sustainable environmental management and continues to work with the Industry Training Authority, private industries, union and non-union trades on Indigenous workforce developments.

Clifford is a proud husband to Lynn, father to three children, grandfather to four, and has two rez dogs.

Commissioner Angela Wesley
Angela Wesley
Commissioner

Angela Wesley is the Government of British Columbia appointed Commissioner. She is serving a two-year term and was first appointed in December 2018. She is a citizen of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations (Nuu-chah-nulth), one of five First Nations implementing the Maa-nulth Treaty on the west coast of Vancouver Island. 

She has remained active in her Nation’s self-governance journey, having been involved throughout all stages of negotiations, ratification, and now implementation. Angela has served as Speaker for the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Legislature and Annual People’s Assemblies, Board Chair/President for the Huu-ay-aht Group of Businesses, and is the representative on the Maa-nulth tripartite treaty implementation committee. She also serves on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors of the Toquaht First Nation Holdings Board, the New Relationship Trust, and the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC. 

For over the past 30 years, through her consulting company Wes-Can Advisory Services, Angela has worked with First Nations providing advisory and facilitation services in areas of strategic planning, community development and engagement, communications, and governance capacity building. She is also actively involved in international discussions on Indigenous governance and leadership.

Angela resides in her husband Gerald’s traditional territory of Kitsumkalum in Terrace and enjoys the company and teachings of her grandson.

Liseanne Forand
Commissioner

Liseanne Forand is the Government of Canada appointed Commissioner. She is serving her first term as Commissioner and was initially appointed interim Commissioner in May 2020. She is a retired public servant with over 30 years’ experience in intergovernmental affairs, policy, natural resource management and international relations.

She began in public service with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in 1985. Throughout her career she progressively assumed senior roles, serving as Assistant Deputy Minister (DM) in both the DFO and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Liseanne was also Senior Associate DM of Human Resources and Skills Development, Chief Operating Officer for Service Canada, and served in the Privy Council Office as Assistant Secretary to Cabinet, Social Development Policy. She was also the first President of Shared Services Canada and retired from public service in 2015.

Liseanne also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (Honors) from Concordia University. She is currently Vice Chairperson of the Board of Polar Knowledge Canada, and previously served as Chair of the CHEO Foundation and on the Institute on Governance Board.

Liseanne and her husband, Jonathan, live in North Saanich, and she is a proud step-mother and grandmother.

Address

700-1111 Melville Street
Vancouver BC
V6E 3V6
604 482 9200

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